Terry Allen

Allen has recorded twelve albums of original songs, including the landmark releases Juarez (1975) and Lubbock (On Everything) (1979). Other artists who have recorded Allen's songs include Guy Clark, Little Feat, David Byrne, Doug Sahm, Ricky Nelson, and Lucinda Williams. Rolling Stone magazine describes his catalog, reaching back to Juarez as ".uniformly eccentric and uncompromising, savage and beautiful, literate and guttural." Allen also works with a wide variety of media including musical and theatrical performances, sculpture, painting, drawing and video, and installations which incorporate any and all of these media. His work has been shown throughout the United States and internationally.

Terry Allen studied at Chouinard Art Institute and Monterey High School. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are country music and outlaw country. Residence is recorded at Fresno. Work by Terry Allen is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Mexico Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Distinctions recorded are Guggenheim Fellowship.

• Name — Terry Allen • Born — 7 May 1943 • Birthplace — Wichita, Kansas • Instrument — * Vocals • piano • guitar • Genre — * Outlaw country • Progressive country • Texas country • Occupation — * Singer-songwriter • painter • sculptor • conceptual artist • Years Active — 1965–present • Illustration — Terry Allen in Dallas, 2018

He was born in Wichita, Kansas, United States. Allen's father was Fletcher ("Sled") Allen (August 23, 1886 in West Plains, Missouri – October 16, 1959 in Lubbock, Texas) a catcher in 1910 for the St. Louis Browns, who continued his career as a player-manager in the Texas League. Allen attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. His contemporaries at Monterey High School included Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Jo Harvey Allen and Jo Carol Pierce. Trained as an architect, he received a B.F.A. from the Chouinard Art Institute in 1966. After briefly teaching at his alma mater (1968–1969) and the University of California, Berkeley (1971), Allen served on the faculty of the California State University, Fresno as a guest lecturer (1971–1973), associate professor (1974–1977) and professor (1978–1979) of art before resigning his appointment to pursue other opportunities. His art has been supported by three National Endowment for the Arts grants and a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. His work Trees (the music, literary and third trees) is installed on the campus of the University of California, San Diego as part of the Stuart Collection. His artwork has been featured at the L.A. Louver art gallery in Venice, California.

Allen first learned to play piano from his mother, Pauline Pierce Allen, a professional musician. In 1962, while in high school, he wrote his first song, "Red Bird", which he would go on to perform live on Shindig! in 1965, and record for his 1980 album Smokin' the Dummy. In 1975, Allen released his debut art-country album, Juarez, which is considered "one of the greatest concept albums of all time" according to PopMatters. Rolling Stone later called it an "outlaw classic". Allen's 1979 follow up was the groundbreaking Lubbock (On Everything). The songwriter's deeply moving and satirical lyrics capture his complex memory of growing up in his hometown of Lubbock. According to AllMusic, Lubbock (On Everything) is "one of the finest country albums of all time" and a progenitor of the alt-country movement. One of the songs, "New Delhi Freight Train", was first recorded by Little Feat and appears on their 1977 album Time Loves a Hero. Guy Clark said of the song, "It's such an interesting piece of work. It’s really fun to play. The music, it’s really nice. But it's the juxtaposition of the song." In 1980, Allen released Smokin' the Dummy, recorded with the Panhandle Mystery Band. His 1983 album Bloodlines includes one of his better-known songs, "Gimme a Ride to Heaven Boy", the tale of a driver who picks up a hitchhiker on the road one night who claims to be Jesus Christ. In 1986, Allen collaborated with director David Byrne on the soundtrack for the film True Stories. Over the following decade (1985–1995), Allen released a series of albums with avant-garde elements, as companions to visual art, theatrical and musical projects – Pedal Steal, Amerasia and Chippy (the latter also the soundtrack of a stage play in collaboration with Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, Robert Earl Keen and Wayne Hancock). In 1996, he released the country album Human Remains, which features guests including David Byrne, Joe Ely, Charlie and Will Sexton and Lucinda Williams. In 2007, Allen appeared on the track "Ghost of Travelin' Jones" on Ryan Bingham's album Mescalito. Allen's 2013 album Bottom of the World features "Queenie's Song", inspired by the death of his dog and co-written with Guy Clark.

Allen has two children, Bukka and Bale Creek.

Terry Allen is recorded with the occupation illustrator. Classed in the genre outlaw country. Recorded as singer, painter, musician, songwriter and illustrator.